The Armenian Church Of The Holy Archangels Michael And Gabriel In Feodosia

The Armenian Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Feodosia (also Kaffa or Theodosia) was built in 1408. It was built with rubble, as well sometimes hewn stone.

An inscription on the church reads: “This temple was built with the righteous means of Astvatsatur in the name of the heavenly warriors Gabriel and Michael, the servants of the Word of God, the consort of Ahut-Khatun Sadat, Khatun, and the children of Khachatur Leon, Ioanness, Magsudi, and Melik in the summer of 857,” that is, in 1408.

The church resembles Italian temples of the Middle Ages, while retaining all the characteristic features of Armenian medieval architecture. Armenian Catholics had the right to build their churches in the Genoese areas of Feodosia since they had equal rights with the Genoese citizens of the city. Due to this, the architecture of the Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel is close to the architecture of similar churches in Italy.

Priests of this church participated in the Ecumenical Council of 1438 which consolidated the union of the Armenian and Roman Catholic churches. The building of the Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel is an interpretation of the Armenian religious architecture of the 12th century seen in the village of Ptghni near Yerevan.

The building of the Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel is built of rubble and carved stone in the spirit of Armenian religious architecture of the 12th century. The external walls of the temple are plastered with mortar from cement. A hexagonal stone belfry decorated with carvings is installed on the northwestern corner of the structure.

Outside, the building looks like a Latin cross. A relief image of the Mother of God is preserved on the western wall at the entrance to the temple. Inside the church, the remains of murals are barely noticeable. Back in the 1890s, a gilded cross used to rise above the dome of the church.

The interior of the church was very rich and picturesque. The church had its own scriptorium where church books were written.

In 1967-1970, the Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel was restored – lost structures were rebuilt, cracks were filled, windows, doors, and tiled roofs were replaced.

The Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel was included in the list of architectural monuments in accordance with the decree Number 970 of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR from August 24, 1963, and the decision Number 284 of the Crimean Oblast Executive Committee from May 22, 1979.

The security zone of the Armenian Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel is limited the streets of R. Luxembourg, Mithridates, March 8, and Timiryazev.

Source: jalita.com